The value of exercise in promoting and improving health is universally recognized. Health clubs and other organizations having equipment devoted to varying levels of exercise, from the benign to the arduous, have become popular. In general, such clubs serve a useful purpose by providing the opportunity for their members to exercise on a regular basis. A drawback, however, is the fact that in many cases, after paying a fee, members lose interest, move away or for other reasons quit visiting the club. Thus, it is recognized that it would be desirable to have exercise equipment which would be readily available to the user.
In addition to the unavailability of some exercise devices, another limitation is that they are often large, cumbersome and expensive. Because of recognition of a need for simpler, easily accessible exercise equipment, and in reaction to the limitations in some conventional devices, smaller, portable and significantly less expensive exercise devices have been developed. Some of these devices have great popular appeal. In order for such devices to function in an acceptable manner, it is highly desirable that, in addition to being portable and inexpensive, they are sturdy and not readily damaged.
Properly designed exercise devices, whether of the large fixed variety, or the smaller portable type, have certain common characteristics. Generally, they exercise single muscles, and muscle groups, by providing a resistance to movement which must be overcome by the user during exercise. Since a muscle or muscle group can exert power only upon contraction, muscle tissue is beneficially exercised when it contracts to overcome the resistance. During exercise, muscular contraction is followed by a brief period of relaxation, which in turn, is followed by contraction as the musculature moves once more against the resistance.
Because muscular strength varies from one person to the next and, indeed, may vary from time to time in the same individual, it is worthwhile to provide an exercise device having some adjustability in resistance. In this manner, users of varying age, strength and health can be benefitted from use of a single exercise device. In addition, it is desirable to provide adjustability of resistance for the individual who, over a period of use of the device, finds added strength requires increased resistance to provide a suitable challenge. Such adjustability is often readily achieved in large, fixed exercise devices where electrical controls, for example, can adjust a brake to load a flywheel. However, desired adjustability is substantially more difficult to achieve in a portable, hand held device. Thus, in view of the above mentioned benefits of portable exercise devices, it would be highly desirable to have such a device which would include a reliable adjustability capability.
A portable exercise device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,596, relates to an articulated exercise device having a pair of handles connected by a telescopic cross-bar. The device is compact, reliable and inexpensive. In addition to these features, it provides a capability for adjustment whereby the user, within certain limits, can vary the resistance within the device, thereby also varying the energy requirement for its operation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,596 is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth at full herein.
The portable exercise devices disclosed in the aforementioned patent are especially useful for conditioning large muscle groups of the body such as, for example, those of the torso, back and legs. However it has been found that in cases where conditioning of the wrists, forearms and arms is desired, a different approach would be desirable. In such a different approach, it would be advantageous to have a device which would be portable, compact and reliable, and would be suitable for conditioning the muscles of the upper body. Preferably, such a device would be easily assembled and resistant to disassembly upon repeated use.
As mentioned, U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,596 discloses several embodiments of exercise devices. In use, devices constructed according to the teaching of the patent have proved to have utility and, if used on a regular basis, provide the user with a suitable conditioning technique. Hoverer, experience in use of the devices has revealed certain limitations in them. For example, the devices have a capability of adjusting resistance over a broad spectrum, and it is not uncommon, as the user backs off a nut to lower resistance, a point is reached, when, without warning to the user, the device comes apart and its internal components spill out. In such a case, the device becomes worthless since the user is unschooled as to how the various components relate one to the other and the internal order in which they are assembled. As a result, the user is often unable to reassemble the device and the disabled device is discarded. In view of this limitation, it would be highly advantageous to have an exercise device which was adjustable over a broad range of resistance levels without risk of damage thereto.
A corollary limitation to that of the possibility of the device coming apart under certain conditions is the fact that the devices disclosed in the aforesaid patent are difficult to assemble even by an experienced individual. The difficulty of assembly results from the fact that numerous components must be aligned in a precise order and then carefully inserted into the handle. The result is a complex installation operation which is time consuming and expensive. In view of this consideration, it would be highly desirable to provide a portable exercise device which is simple in design and easy to assemble.